Prismark10 Bye Bye Birdie is an adaptation of a stage musical into a bright, colourful lit film but some bland songs and rather off acting especially by Jesse Pearson who plays the Elvis like Conrad Birdie.Conrad Birdie is a heartthrob rock n roll singer who is drafted to the army. However he ends up coming to a small Ohio town for a farewell television performance, singing a song written by a local chemistry teacher and aspiring songwriter and kiss a female fan. However his arrival causes a stir with locals and some of the young men are not happy especially the boyfriend of the fan due to kiss Conrad.The film is bouncy, bright and colourful but looks rather quaint now. A bubblegum version of early 1960s teen culture and small town America before the counter culture emerged. The songs rather reflect this and lack a hard edge although there is some subversiveness in the lyrics here and there.There is a talented cast with Dick Van Dyke, Janet Leigh but the standout is Ann Margret showing early promise.

TxMike OK, in the spirit of full disclosure, I am an old guy. In fact this movie was being filmed during my senior year in high school, and released near the time I graduated. But somehow I had never seen it, until now. It has great memories for a number of reasons. First, as a teen I was infatuated with Janet Leigh. She was so pretty and with a nice figure, to me it couldn't get any better. I have seen her in a number of dramatic roles, including Psycho, but never in a comedic role, as here, and she does great.Second, as I went into young adulthood I discovered Ann-Margaret, and to me she was about as nice and beautiful as they get. She is only 4 years older than I am, she was 21 during filming of this movie and she lights up the screen in every scene she is in. Plus a darned good singer.And third, Bobby Rydell. His songs were very popular during the 1960s and seeing him play the role of Ann-Margaret's character was total fun and nostalgic. I can still hear him singing "Dream Lover."The title character of this movie is Jesse Pearson as singer Conrad Birdie, mostly a parody of Elvis Presley, drafted to go into the military, and young girls swoon when he sings. But he also sounded a lot like Bobby Darin in some songs.But the story is just an excuse to sing a few songs and to showcase the talents of the main cast, which also included the likes of Paul Lynde and Ed Sullivan playing himself. The story includes having Kim (Ann- Margaret) and Hugo (Bobby Rydell) realize their love for each other, as well as Albert (Van Dyke) and his secretary Rosie (Leigh).Just a fun, silly movie from the 1960s, with fun, silly songs.

TheLittleSongbird Opinions seem to be pretty divisive on this film version of Bye Bye Birdie, and while I can definitely understand why people won't like it it is also easy to see why people do. While it is not perfect, I am one of those who did like the film and always have done. I have yet to re-watch the 1995 version, but I do remember that while it was closer to the original musical/stage show that it didn't have the same levels of energy and sense of fun that we see here, that the cast weren't as strong and that it felt too much like a made for TV movie. The re-watch might make me feel differently though. Bye Bye Birdie(1963) does have foibles in my view, the Ed Sullivan references are dated and have always gone over my head, Jesse Pearsson as Conrad does little with his here very underdeveloped character and Bobby Rydell is rather bland. However, the film is beautifully shot and the costumes and sets are very colourful. The songs are wonderful and really quite catchy, while the choreography is both lively and inventive(loved Conrad's priceless entrance). The story does come across as a little messy as a result of things being omitted, added in and rewritten, but the witty satire and the exuberance of George Sidney's direction make up for things. The performances are very strong generally, Ann-Margaret especially is perfect in the lead even if her singing in the prologue is not that great. But that is not to dispute the rest, Paul Lynde's hilarious and snarky performance- and rendition of Kids- really stood out and Maureen Stapleton is a riot as the overbearing mother figure. I've seen better from Dick Van Dyke but his handsome presence, infectious energy and personal charm still shine here and while the role needed much more of a spitfire personality Janet Leigh was still very charming and really gave her all in every respect. In conclusion, energetic, colourful and fun, not one of my favourites but I can't help liking it very much. 7/10 Bethany Cox

DKosty123 What is most interesting about this film is the cast. Dick Van Dyke is in top form. As for the women, Ann Margaret and Janet Leigh are both in stunning beauty here. Paul Lynde is cast here in the hit Broadway role that helped establish him in the national spot light. Ole stone face Ed Sullivan even mugs a few camera shots in.The story is a bit of a mess but in a way this is the Grease of the 1960's. Some of the sets even look like sets used in the 1970 Disco film. One of the scenes in the apartment bedroom with Leigh and Margaret reminds me very much of a scene in Grease too. The main differences between the 2 musicals are the music and script.While Grease introduced a disco beat to musicals, Bye Bye Birdie introduces very little music that is new to anybody. Grease focus on the love story of the lead characters. Birdie wanders between 2 or three love stories and sometimes wanders totally off into nonsense.Still, I like looking at pretty women and by golly the main ones in this one definitely qualify. Van Dykes physical comedy is a bit stretched here. For some reason this movie tries to take advantage of a public that has gone Elvis crazy and is into going Beatle crazy and tries to make Conrad Birdie into another Elvis. On that count, it falls woefully short which is why the music is so ordinary.